One Door Opens, Another Slams Shut
by StarInMyHeart
Summary: "This is going to be harder than I thought." he breathes,  "I just though it was obvious, Aria, I'm- well I guess... I was your teacher. And just because you're graduating doesn't mean we can be together." Ezra is OOC. Aria/Noel friendship


I totally forgot to mention in my last one-shot that:

**In my writings, I've bumped everything up a year, so that Alison went missing at the end of 8th grade, and the current season would be senior year. **

Note: Ezra's pretty OOC in this story. And, I tried to make Aria angsty, without seeming like a bitch.

Not so sure I like this story. Let me know what you think.

* * *

"I'm sorry. But I mean we kind of knew... I mean you understand right? Once the real situation was revealed you had to have realized that things would never work... right?" Ezra nervously shifts his weight on to his back foot, easing away from Aria.

"W-what?" her bottom lip trembles as the whisper escapes her lips. Her mouth gapes open for a second before she closes it and swallows hard, searching his amber eyes for answers.

"This is going to be harder than I thought." he breathes, pretending to busy himself clearing up the clutter on his desk. "I just though it was obvious, Aria, I'm- well I guess now I **was **your teacher. And just because you've graduated doesn't mean we can be together." Her mind can't even comprehend what he's saying. "I guess what I'm saying is... we never would've worked out anyway."

"But, Ezra, It's just... why?" she cries, "We could finally be together!" Desperately, she grabs his hand, begging him to change his mind.

"Aria, you just don't understand." he sighs, "What if it ever got out? You'll be off at Brown, and I'll be here in Rosewood. Your mother is a substitute teacher here, your brother will be in my class next year, and Rosewood is a small town, I'll see your father at some point. I could not bare looking your mother in the eye after what she said to me at SATs."

"What did she say to you?" She demands, angrily pushing her blue-black hair out of her face. "Just because my father doesn't love her anymore, does not mean she can ruin my relationships for me!"

"She thanked me." Ezra says simply, continuing to file papers.

"What?" she asks stunned. Ezra sighs.

"She wanted to thank me for being a positive adult influence in your life. Which made me realize, I can't be, and that's exactly what you need right now." Aria half turns and throws her head back glaring at the ceiling.

"Positive adult influence?" she spats, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Ezra shakes his head slightly and looks up.

"Aria, you've gone through a lot this past year. I don't think I know many people who could handle all that you have without having a nervous breakdown, but still, even the strongest people need a constant in their life, and I can't be that for you." Fuming, Aria paces and scoffs, "You have been through a lot, you know," he begins, "You came back to Rosewood after two years of living in a different country, your best friend's body was found, and your parents split up."

"Really? Thanks for the recap!" she snaps, "Now tell me how that affects our relationship."

"When you're in a relationship with someone, your supposed to be proud of it. You're supposed to brag to your friends about how you found the perfect person. You're supposed to be able to proudly introduce them to your parents, and pray they'll like him. You're not supposed to feel restraints, you're supposed to want to tell everyone that they belong to you! And we can't do that. You're seventeen years old, Aria, I cannot and will not stand by and pretend this is okay. You have your whole life ahead of you, and I am not going to hold you back from having those feelings for the right person." Ezra's voice was full of meaning and sorrow, but his words were powerful.

"I don't care about the other guys! I don't are about what I'm supposed to feel! ...Ezra, please!" She grabs his shoulder, forcing him to look her in the eyes.

"You don't get it, Aria. I care. I care about you, and I'm not going to let you do this anymore." She stares at him for a second, before releasing her hand, and stepping back.

"Ezra, you don't get it! I need you now more than ever! With all of the stuff I'm dealing with I need someone like you!" Tears begin to form and her eyes, and Ezra can't bear to look at her.

"Exactly," he says quietly, " you need someone like me, not me."

"You're really not going to give up, are you?" she says softly, tracing carvings in his desk.

"I'm sorry, Aria," he whispers, looking at her brokenheartedly.

"No, you're not allowed to be sorry!" She looks up at him, her cat green eyes striking. "I gave up everything trying to make this relationship work! I gave up Friday night dinners with my mother, I haven't talked to my friends in weeks, I blew off Noel Kahn, the guy I've had a crush on since I was twelve, and you're breaking my heart. I cannot believe I wasted my time on you." Her words sliced him like a knife. He looked up to see angry tears rolling down her cheeks, taking her dark makeup with them. He looks at her for a moment before he speaks.

"When you get on that train tomorrow, a new chapter of your life is beginning, and our relationship will be the past. Never dwell on the past." She gives him one last look, before stalking into the hall, slamming the door behind her.

Once she's far enough away, she backs into a locker and slides to the ground, crying. She lay her head against the chipped blue paint, and leaves her long legs sticking out into the middle of the hallway. She hears the sound of scuffing shoes on the tile, and attempts to dry her tears.

"Aria?" she hears a familiar voice whisper, she looks up. Noel Kahn.

"Uh, hey," she responds, her voice high and shaky. He looks at her puzzled.

"Are you alright?" he asks, sitting down next to her.

"Honestly, Noel, I don't know anything anymore," she replies, weakly hanging her head.

"Is this about your parents? Or that guy from Iceland?" he asks, she shamelessly nods to the latter.

"I thought he was going to tell me he loved me." she blurts. Noel nods silently. "He actually broke up with me."

"That sucks," he offers, she half smiles, it had to be pretty awkward for him.

"Thank you." she says spontaneously, turning to look at him. He looks at her confused.

"For?" he trails off.

"For everything. You've done more than enough for me, and I just totally ignored it... I really have no idea what I'm going to do." she stares at the line of lockers across the hall, "With Mike, I mean. He refuses to even speak to my father, and it's been six months. You were really great to him, he really idolizes you, you know." he smiles.

"I like, Mike. He's a cool kid." he responds, still smiling.

"I really should've listened to your advice after the concert, and at SATs." she says simply, "He really wasn't worth all of the sacrifice." she whispers the last part, but Noel still hears her. "So, what are you doing here anyway?" she laughs.

"I leave for school tomorrow, and I needed a copy of my transcript." she nods, "You?" he asks innocently.

"Wait, what?" she responds.

"What are you doing here?" he specifies.

"Oh, I was uh, picking up a letter of recommendation." she lies, smoothly.

"Ah. So, what dorm are you in?" he questions.

"Chelsea, you?"

"Fletcher," he replies, "bummer, I was hoping we would be in the same dorm." His aqua eyes twinkle, as his square jaw stiffens.

"Yeah, me too." Aria agrees. 'Wait. Noel Kahn is going to Brown?' she thinks to herself, 'Well, I guess he is pretty smart, and he plays lacrosse, and his dad owns practically half of Rhode Island.'

"Well, I have to go," he says, glancing at his watch, "I have a few things I need to get before tomorrow," Aria nods in understanding, "But, uh, listen, call me if you need to talk to someone tonight. And... if not, I'll probably see you tomorrow." he smiles at her, standing up.

"Yeah," she answers, standing up, "We should... um... you know, hang out, once we get settled in," she stutters, his eyes light up.

"After four years, we can finally have those ice cream sandwiches," He winks, and she laughs as he gives her one last smile before heading towards the exit.

* * *

Usually I have a lot of confidence in my stories, but this one is like weird.

Originally, I wasn't going to include Noel, but my fingers just kept typing and they put him in here. :)

Oh, and if you're going to favorite the story, please submit a review! Sorry if that sounds selfish, but I want to here what you think!

If you look on my profile you can see my list of upcoming stories.

Sorry about the babbling.


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